UPDATE: West Kelowna man’s death no longer suspicious

The Kelowna RCMP said Wednesday that they are now able to confirm that the suspicious death of a 48-year-old West Kelowna man is no longer suspicious in nature.

“The police investigation has determined that there was no foul play involved and the investigation has now been turned over to the BC Coroners Service,” said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey, in a press release.

“The Kelowna RCMP wanted to thank all of those who approached investigators or who called in and provided information, as it assisted us with completing this investigation in a timely manner.”

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Monday, June 26, 1:30 p.m.

An abandoned 911 call led Kelowna Mounties to a body this weekend, and now they’re looking for help to figure out what happened.

Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey of the Kelowna RCMP held a press conference Monday in an effort to find answers in a case that opened with a dropped 911 call at 3 a.m. June 24, in the 1900 block of Pacific Court.

“Officers searched the immediate area (of the call) and located a deceased male, along with the cellular phone used to call 911, in the parking lot of an abandoned apartment building in the vicinity,” said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey.

The man, whose name is currently being withheld, was 48-years-old and from West Kelowna.

“RCMP have been unable to determine a clear cause of death during the initial stages of the investigation,” said O’Donaghey. “As such the Kelowna RCMP Serious Crimes Unit has assumed conduct of the investigation and will continue to work closely with the BC Coroner’s Service as both agencies probe the man’s death.”

Distributed to media at the press conference is a pixellated photo of a woman that Mounties believe may hold some answers to the case at hand.

“It’s not clear, the photo is quite pixellated, but we’re hoping it’s enough for the public,” he said.

The woman, he said, was seen in the immediate area of the 911 call and she’s not considered a suspect or a person of interest.

“We are just hoping she will have information to assist with the investigation,” he said.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Cpl. Judith Bertrand of the Kelowna RCMP Serious Crimes Unit (SCU) at 250-470-6327. Or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, leaving a tip online at www.crimestoppers.net or by texting your tip to CRIMES (274637) ktown.